Emirgan Park

Emirgan Park is a historic park, situated right beside the Bosphorus in the pretty suburb of Emirgan.

The Park is especially well known for its vibrant collection of tulips, which appear on mass every April during the Istanbul Tulip Festival.

Emirgan Park dates to the mid 16th century, when it was gifted to Lord Chancellor Nisanci Feridun Bey, of whom the Park was originally named after. During the 17th century, Sultan Murad IV offered the entire estate to Safavid Persian commander Emir Gûne Han, who had surrendered his castle to the Ottomans without resistance. Over time, the name of the Park changed to Emirgan and the ownership changed many times until the 1940s when it was granted to the city of Istanbul.

Emirgan Park is spread over more than 100 acres of land and boasts an extensive variety of flora and fauna. It has a playground, jogging tracks, several pavilions and an ornamental lake.

The Ataturk Arboretum, comprising part of Belgrade Forest, contains a spectacular collection of plants and trees from around the world. Located only 20km from Istanbul, this 345 hectare peaceful sanctuary is a heaven for nature lovers.

The Arboretum is especially popular with students and researchers, who come to admire and study the wide variety of greenery. Established in 1949, there are more than 2,000 species of trees here, such as the American tulip tree, Spanish fir and red-leaved Judas tree. The Ataturk Arboretum has contact with other botanic institutions worldwide and they are involved with regular exchanges of seeds.

Two and a half hectares are entirely dedicated to various oaks. Exotic species include the Chinese scythe tree, Asian sweet gum, Japanese hydrangea and Arizona cypress. There are plaques displaying the names of the trees and country of origin.

Visitors are given a map of the Arboretum on arrival, and are strictly warned not to damage any plants.

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